Who is the New 52 Batman? He’s Jason O’Mara!

Rick Yaeger: Hey everyone. It’s Rick Yaeger here with one question interviews, the show where I ask famous people curious questions.

IMDB says you know today’s guest from the movies Resident Evil Extinction and One for the Money. But if you’re like me then you know him from TV shows like Life on Mars, Terra Nova and playing the fun but dangerous Damian Boyle on The Good Wife. Jason O’Mara, welcome to the show.

Jason O’Mara: The fun but dangerous Jason O’Mara.

Rick: Yes.

Jason: Hello folks. How are you Rick Yaeger?

Rick: I’m good. How are you?

Jason: I’m doing well, thanks.

Rick: Thank you so much for doing this.

Jason: No worries. Thanks for having me on.

Rick: So I mentioned The Good Wife, and Damian is the fly in so many ointments on that show, but it’s so fun to watch.

Jason: He likes to shake things up, and he likes to rub people off the wrong way. He’s obstreperous. He’s interfering, and that’s how he likes to run his life. He likes to take people off balance, and then sort of take advantage of the situation.

He’s a little naughty, but I think he’s also quite smart, and he’ll go to any lengths to get the job done. I think that’s what he offers of value to LG.

Rick: He seems to enjoy it so much. He takes so much pleasure in, “Oh is that the way it’s going to go? No it’s not. This is the way it’s going to go,” and just spilling the chaos on the boardroom table there.

Jason: He thrives on chaos. He’s one of those people that just the more chaos there is, the more in control he feels. That’s what’s really fun about playing him as an actor because there’s not much fun when a character is always in control of his actions.

I think what I’m trying to say is when there’s unpredictability, and volatility it’s always more fun to play.

Rick: You usually play people on the good side of the law. You play a lot of police officers, actually.

Jason: I have, yes.

Rick: This time you get to play someone who is technically on the right side of the law, but you know.

Jason: It’s pretty ambiguous.

Rick: Yeah.

Jason: He flirts with that line. I think ultimately that’s the thing. I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but ultimately that’s the thing that gets men to trouble. That’s what’s going to catch up with him.

Rick: OK. I don’t want you to tell me anymore because I don’t want to know, I want to watch, I want to see how it unfolds. Doing a show like this, I pretend to be a little like The Riddler, but you actually are Batman.

Jason: I am Batman. And you don’t know how long I’ve waited to be able to say that and for it to actually be the truth. I mean, we’re all Batman in our own way, but we all know that just b saying I’m Batman doesn’t always make it so. I can actually say definitively I am Batman. Or at least I am a Batman because there are many of us I think.

I am the new voice of the new 52 Batman. The most recent incarnation, the most recent reboot of the franchise. Yeah.

Rick: And where are you going with the voice portrayal here? This is obviously a cartoon, not a film that was given to Ben Affleck, I think.

Jason: These are the animated films.

Rick: Right. So where are you going with the voice acting on this? Are you going to go with the Christian Bale crazy gravelly voice?

Jason: No. I want to; I mean initially I thought that that would be interesting in an animated film because a lot of people, particularly younger fans, I think, identify with Christian Bale’s Batman voice. And it is kind the quintessential Batman voice for them.

But some of the older fans who have been watching the animated films over decades associate Kevin Conroy with the voice of Batman. He’s also the voice of Batman in Arkham Asylum, Arkham Origins , Arkham City, all that stuff. As well as all the other TV series as well, all the other movies for years and years.

They were really big shoes to fill. And I think that was the big hurdle to overcome was to sort of try to get a person to accept yet another Batman voice who wasn’t Kevin Conroy.

I wanted to make this Batman quite soft-spoken, not too gravelly, quite matter of fact, but still retaining his darkness. The other thing is it takes a little while to kind of get into that groove.

I mean I was happy with ‘Justice League War.’ But the most recent one, ‘Son of Batman,’ which should be coming out soon, I feel like I sort of got into the zone in this particular film. And I’m really looking forward to that coming out and seeing what the fan have to say about it.

Rick: So fans, “Son of Batman.’ Get ready, it’s coming soon.

Jason: That’s right. By the way my son the other day said, he said, “So you’re the new 52 Batman, are you dad?” And I said, “I am, yes.” And he said, “What happened to the old 51?

I was impressed.

Rick: Pretty good. So we’re doing this little interview here and I got to say, I’m very jealous because I researching you I find that you have your own show. “Impromptu Interviews,” and I really love it. It seems like you stopped doing it.

Jason: I did. I kind of, it was the right thing to do on ‘Terra Nova’ because everybody was up for it, you know? We were in Australia, it was all very exciting. We didn’t know what was going to happen. We were all, more or less, on the same page in terms of where we were as an ensemble.

And I asked everyone beforehand, “Do you mind if I stick a camera in your face and ask you these same five questions?” And they were like, “No, I don’t mind at all.” So from that point on I was able to have kind of fun with it.

I was working with other different actors who either had been part of a show or have a long and storied movie career and I just didn’t feel comfortable kind of going, you know, “If I stick a camera in your face, would it be OK if I asked you a few questions?”

So I just kind of let it lie. But for what it was, I think it worked really well. And everybody came across so well. And was so much fun to do. I hope the fans enjoyed it. After that the YouTube channel that they set up on YouTube, a Jason O’Mara channel, I think it’s got over a million hits just from the “Impromptu Interviews.”

Rick: It’s doing impressively well. And I’m going to link it up there on the show notes back at oneinterviewquestions.com so people can enjoy it. I might even embed one.

I really like the one you did with your daughter on the show, I think it was.

Jason: Yeah.

Rick: Yeah, she was sweet. As you know, the show is called ‘One Question Interviews.” I have almost a thousand different questions.

Jason: Oh, have you not asked me anything yet?

Rick: No. They don’t count.

Jason: Just talking.

Rick: That’s just chatting. That’s getting to know you.

Jason: Oh. OK.

Rick: Now it gets harder.

Jason: Right. Go for it.

Rick: Ranging from the profane to the profound. I’ll choose one at random.

Jason: What was the profane?

Rick: Everyone hopes for the profane. You can answer it seriously or in your Batman voice if you wish.

Rick: Just tell me when to stop.

Jason: Stop.

Rick: This is also not the question. Do you want the top one or the bottom one?

Jason: This is not the question, then, yeah that one there and the top one. No.

Rick: This one?

Jason: Yeah, the bottom one. Sorry.

Rick: Oh, the bottom one. What are three things you wish people would just stop talking about?

Jason: Just stop talking.

Rick: Well, things get in the news and they drag on forever and its’ like, are we still on this topic?

Jason: Yeah. I think we make way too much. You want three things? That’s three questions.

Rick: OK, give me one.

Jason: Hold on a second.

Rick: Give me one. Just give me one good one and we’ll call it good.

Jason: That’s like three questions in one.

Rick: OK.

Jason: That’s like one of your favorite body parts or something. I think we make too much of a deal of stuff that doesn’t matter, you know. Like the VMAs or the MTV Music Awards. This stuff just doesn’t matter. Who cares about what hair color a pop star has or if she’s posed nude or if some guy has said something to someone else. I mean it drives me crazy that we make a big deal out of this stuff.

I mean I know it can be fun on Twitter. And I’ve even been guilty of that from time to time, chipping in because it can be fun. But there is so many more important things happening in the world and I always get wracked with this kind of guilt going, wait a second. We’re spending all this time talking about so and so twerking or whatever it is.

There’s such serious stuff happening in the world. And I just don’t think we’ve focused our efforts a little more, focus that energy the way we’re taught to in school and when we’re kids.

We can do far more to change the world and make it a better place, but unfortunately we’re a little bit fallible in that department and we get distracted, shiny object. Squirrel!

Rick: Gossip. It’s fun.

Jason: Gossip. Yeah.

Rick: Well and if you’ve got any kind of fame or notoriety, any little, the twerking for instance, just throws that gasoline on the flame that just turns it into an inferno.

Jason: Yeah and I think it’s really hard not to get involved when people hurt your feelings on Twitter or when people say things you don’t agree with.

I hate watching people I really admire, like whether they’re actors or musicians or writers or whatever, involved in slinging matches, most slinging matches on Twitter. Everybody looks stupid at the end of the day. You don’t get that involved.

It’s really hard but you have to kind of try to stay above that. Because you see other people making that mistake, and again, really bright talented people, and it’s just awful. Nobody wants to see that. So that’s probably something we could do a lot less on, as well.

I think I have a Twitter problem too.

Rick: No, you’re good at Twitter. You’re very good at twitter. I would recommend people follow you on Twitter. It’s @jason_omara. It’s down there. You can see it. And follow this guy because he actually engages his fans really well. Not everyone responds to their fans the way Jason O’Mara does. So he’s just a fun guy to follow.

Jason: I try, thank you Rick Yaeger. I try to do like the little Q and A’s, impromptu Q and A’s from time to time and I try to retweet people especially, if they’re new or if they’re asking me a fun question or if I haven’t seen a lot of them.

I mean I have some fans that I stay in daily contact with. But sometimes they come up and it’s like, wait I haven’t seen you. I think, here’s one of the best kept secrets. I think a lot of people with multiple followers, you know people who have followers in the thousands.

A lot of other people think that they’re getting hundreds of tweets every day but it’s not true. I personally, to be completely honest, get 10 or 20 tweets in an average day. I’m sure some celebrities who have millions of followers do get hundreds. But I try to spread the love around and interact as much as I can.

Rick: Yeah, you’re very good at that. I saw the Q and A you did just from Twitter followers. You sat down with a video camera and you engage your fans. It’s really great.

Jason: Did you read my Johnny Depp joke? I said it was for something private for Johnny Depp’s ear the other night, but never heard. Probably the thing I’m most proud of tweeting. I’m getting so old I don’t know the difference between a funny joke and a dad joke anymore. It could be a dad joke.

Rick: Introduce your wife. She’s not here but just out her here.

Jason: Yeah I’ll out her now. Paige Turco. And you might have seen her on like; well she was like April O’Neil on the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” And then she was on “NYPD Blue” for a while and ”Party of five” and stuff.

But recently she’s been on “Person of Interest.” Now she’s on “The 100.” And she was also on that new NCIS New Orleans launch of the new NCIS spin-off playing Scott Bacula’s wife.

So yeah, she’s been around but yah I hope you’re enjoying her on “The 100.” She’s got a nice big part in that.

Rick: Great.

Jason: Yeah, it’s great. I highly recommend it. And it’s shot right there where you are, in Vancouver.

Rick: Beautiful downtown Vancouver.

Jason: Downtown Vancouver.

Rick: Very good, and I don’t know her twitter handle but it’s going to be right by the time.

Jason: She doesn’t have one.

Rick: She doesn’t have one.

Jason: Yeah, she’s a Luddite. But she is considering getting one. So maybe if we just keep encouraging her I can show her the messages on twitter and she’ll eventually get one, of course she’ll probably break it.

Rick: OK, thank you so much for being on the show. I really appreciate you taking the time out. Check out Jason O’Mara on “The Good Wife,” If he’s still on. He won’t tell me whether, when he’s leaving or if he’s leaving or if he’s staying.

Jason: Well there, yeah there is some uncertainty. I mean, you know, an episode is aired which will change things slightly but I’m told the door is always open. You never know when Damian Boyle is going to pop up again so.

Rick: Right, Sundays at 9 pm, 8 central on the big eyeball, CBS. And again, follow him on Twitter @jason_omara. Subscribe to Jason O’Mara’s YouTube channel at the link below because it’s really too long to read out.

Enjoy his Impromptu Interview series and witness him singing the Irish national anthem, is that going to happen?

Jason: Yeah, that did happen.

Rick: Is it up there?

Jason: I didn’t make a big deal out of it Rick, you know. I tweeted it out and it’s out there. You can see it. You might feel searching for it. I didn’t make a big deal out of it, you know; singing is not my forte so.

I did it. I fulfilled my promise for that charity drive I was doing. And I’m not going to focus on that so much dreadful. You’re not going to see it but it’s pretty dreadful. But I sung it with pride and gusto, as you should sing your national anthem with.

Rick: Indeed. I’ve linked all of Jason O’Mara’s social networks right here below our faces and they go by very fast and they’re hard to click on so head over to onequestioninterviews.com where I’ll have them linked up in a transcript of this interview along with many others for you to check out.

Everyone, this is Rick Yaeger Yeager for “One Question Interviews.” Thank you so much for watching. And subscribe to the show in the iTunes podcast directory so you don’t miss out on the next episode. Bye.